---
title: "Croft: Anderson’s Body “Creaking a Little Bit”"
canonical: "https://readcricket.com/2026/04/22/croft-andersons-body-creaking-a-little-bit-cricket-news/"
type: "post"
language: "en-GB"
author: "Ron Alderman"
section: "County Cricket"
published: "2026-04-22T10:26:14Z"
modified: "2026-04-22T10:26:15Z"
---

# Croft: Anderson’s Body “Creaking a Little Bit”

**At a glance**

- **Anderson – leading wicket taker in County Cricket**
- **43-year-old – 21 wickets @ 12.09**
- **Lancashire face Durham this week in County Championship**

* * *

Lancashire head coach Steven Croft is unsure whether skipper Jimmy Anderson can play in this week’s County Championship match at Durham.

## **Anderson so far this season.**

Jimmy Anderson has been on fire so far this season. The 43-year-old has taken 21 wickets at 12.06 in three Championship games. He produced a typical Anderson performance with a match winning 4-18 in the second innings against Derbyshire as they were [bowled out for 108](https://www.ecb.co.uk/county-championship/matches/112826/scorecard), chasing 138 to win.

Lancashire sit top of the County Championship Division Two table, with 54 points with two wins and a draw. They travel to Chester-le-Street to take on Durham, starting on Friday.

## **“A 21-year-old would be feeling it”**

Anderson has bowled one ball shy of 100 overs across 12 days of cricket over three weeks so far this season. Quite rightly, Lancashire are a little concerned about pushing him too far.

Speaking with BBC Radio Lancashire, Croft said:

> *“I think it’s a bit of a waiting game. Jimmy’s in incredible condition at the minute, but obviously the body is going to be creaking a little bit. The performance he’s not just put in on Sunday, but in the whole season so far, a 21-year-old would be feeling it. Hopefully, he can be fit, but we’ll just have to assess in the next few days.”*

After their game with Durham, Lancashire have their bye week. That could be a reason why Anderson might play this round against Durham.

Two players who will definitely not feature are opener Luke Wells, who has a dislocated shoulder, and fast bowler Ajeet Singh Dale, who is sidelined with a hamstring injury. Dale is also ineligible to play after being replaced under the new **[ECB replacement ruling](https://readcricket.com/2026/04/18/ecb-to-review-replacement-rule/)**.

**Stay up to date with all the latest [County Championship](https://readcricket.com/county-cricket/) news with at readcricket.com**